O'Leary: Spaulding/Exeter is a big game on both sidelines

EXETER — The Exeter High School football team is in first place, and no one's surprised.

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Posted Oct. 18, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Posted Oct. 18, 2013 at 2:00 AM

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EXETER — The Exeter High School football team is in first place, and no one's surprised.

The surprising team will be on the opposing sideline tonight in Rochester.

Spaulding, a 2-6 team in Division II last season, could move into first place in the Division I East conference with a win over the Blue Hawks.

"I really have a lot of respect for what Spaulding has done," Exeter coach Bill Ball said. "They've really rebuilt their program and they've done a terrific job up there. Watching them and getting ready for them even makes me appreciate more what they've done."

Rallying around a smash-mouth brand of football, all the Raiders have done is grab the league's attention. They ran all over Winnacunnet in a 42-29 rout on Oct. 4, and now, at 3-3, they're even with the Warriors and stand a game behind 4-2 Exeter in the East.

It's an important one for both sides. The Blue Hawks know what a win this week would do for their conference championship hopes. It would all but ensure that game be played at Eustis Field, a place where the team's won 13 straight dating back to 2011.

"It's the biggest game of the year," Exeter senior Jake DiGiovanni said. "It determines playoffs. It determines whether we play at home or not. It's a big game."

The Raiders are coming off a hard-fought, 38-26 loss to Bishop Guertin. Exeter shook off its first back-to-back losses in two-plus years last week with a 55-28 win over Alvirne. The 55 points, due mostly to Alvirne's onside kicks and Exeter's defensive score, were the most Exeter has scored in coach Ball's tenure.

The key was Exeter's dominant offensive line that paved the way to 432 rushing yards. The Hawks scored on their first seven possessions, never punted and surrendered the ball for the first time in the final quarter, when backup Jackson Allen took a knee on fourth down.

"Like coach emphasized, we came off the ball low and physical," DiGiovanni said of the line play. "It was one of those games where we were ready, definitely in the mindset more than any game this year."

Scouting Spaulding

The Blue Hawks are expecting one of their most physical opponents of the season. The Raiders operate mostly from the Double Wing, a power running formation that's comparable to Exeter's Wing-T in that all 11 players are aligned close to the center. It allows the offense to hide the ball carrier well while running counters, tosses, draws and wedges.

Spaulding's bread and butter has been its run game. In the Winnacunnet win, it gained 256 yards on just 17 first-half plays. All of the plays were runs. The Raiders passed just once in the game and it went for a 51-yard touchdown.

"Good linebackers," Ball said. "Tough inside guys. Secondary's active. They're a good team. They run to the ball and they're physical."

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Will Spaulding really stick to its guns in the run game? No team has truly tried it against Exeter. Fearful of the Blue Hawks' size, particularly their linemen and linebackers near the line of scrimmage, opponents have attempted 159 pass attempts in Exeter's six games. That's an average of 26.5 attempts per game, and it's been even more dramatic the past four weeks, when teams have have chucked it up an average of 31 times per.

Spaulding's base is the Double Wing, but "they give you the whole deal," Ball said. " I think they'll probably spread us out like everyone else has and try to throw it to the edge, too. We certainly shouldn't be surprised by it."

Another key storyline is the health of one of Exeter's most important players. Junior center and defensive end Neil Vorster missed the second half of the Alvirne game with a leg injury. His status for tonight's game was up in the air as of press time.

"He's coming along real well," Ball said of his star lineman. "I'm optimistic, but we'll see."

Players to watch

If Vorster can't go, senior Adam Kukesh will slide to center on the offensive line. Defensively, watch for players like Kukesh, DiGiovanni and Chris Henry to help fill the void. ...; "We've got all sorts of kids who can come in and we trust on the field," DiGiovanni said. ...; The Blue Hawks must contain Spaulding wing back Trey Scott, and that's easier said than done. A week after he topped 200 yards against Winnacunnet, Scott gained 191 against Guertin. Tyller Snow and Mike Melendez are other key Spaulding backs ...; Exeter's Mark Cicchini Jr. saw his biggest offensive workload of the season last week in a starting role. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound junior rushed six times for 45 yards. ...; If Spaulding goes airborne, quarterback Joshua Lapointe has proven he can hit explosive plays. He and Scott have connected on passing scores of 51 and 46 yards the past two weeks.

Prediction

An intriguing matchup of two teams that hang their hats on playing smash-mouth football. Even with its recent struggles on the road, it's tough to envision Exeter getting beat at its own game. Spaulding might attempt more passes than it has in a game all season, but that doesn't mean it will be comfortable doing so. Exeter 28, Spaulding 13.

Ryan O'Leary is a Seacoast Media Group staff writer. He can be reached at roleary@seacoastonline.com. Follow Ryan on Twitter @RyanOLearySMG.